Rating: 
Summary: The Century is Outstanding!
Review: Only newspeople, skilled & versed in the panoply of daily life, could have brought together such an intelligent and, sometimes humorous saga of the past raucous, riotous & rich century. With sepia toned photos of Suffragettes, politicians & events the first years come right back at you with first-hand accounts of going to war, prohibition, the first plane flight in front of the White House. The last hundred years have been recorded in photographs, first black & white & then color from selling refrigerators to napalming jungles, from Sputnik to the Challenger & so it goes. An absorbing collage of reminiscents, facts & photos. Very well done & one heavy book!
Rating: 
Summary: What Century Were They Describing?
Review: From the perspective of a well produced, well written piece of literature, this is a very entertaining read. Unfortunately, having lived through a great portion of this century myself (born 1938) I really had a difficult time reconciling my first hand memories of the events with the "spin" that appears in this book. Since the age of 6 (1944) I have remained well informed with the current events of the day, and the events as described in this book certainly don't match my experiences. Example(s): The Hollywood "Blacklist" was truly based on the very real fact that the Soviet Union was pro-actively attempting to influence the content of motion pictures in the United States; This volume provides only the viewpoint of the apparent victims of the Blacklist, without balancing it by a view from the other side. Moving ahead, the discussion of the 1950's mentioned President Eisenhower just in passing . . How can the '50's be discussed without prominently reviewing the career of Ike? What about his farewell address, when he cautioned us about the growing influence of the Military-Industrial Complex? I heard that speach live on TV, but, if we use this book as a guide, that speech never occurred. Again, the emphasis placed on the "social revolution" of the Sixties: I was there . . I was a father, working to support a family . . the Sixties Revolution" was just a sideshow to me, and to my peers. We were too busy being productive members of society to participate in such foolishness; In fact, we were truly the "Silent Majority" that was given such short shrift in this book. Be cautioned: If you are a true student of history, take this book with a grain of salt, and a great deal of skepticism. It is a great read, if you are interested in pop culture, but take it from one who was there: That's not "the way it was"!
Rating: 
Summary: The Century
Review: Reading this book at this time has been the most meaningful way for me to celebrate the new millennium. I was born roughly mid-century, so it was a great way to look back on and put into a clearer overall context events that took place within my memory. And it increased my understanding of my own values and the values of my parents and grandparents by comparing events in, say, the thirties and forties vs the sixties and seventies. The authors state "History is a photograph, a picture framed this way by one lensman, that way by another." The hardest part of making this book must not have been what to put in, but given the scope, what to leave out. I didn't always agree with their decisions. Let it be said quite clearly that this book is about the AMERICAN century - that is to say from the US point of view. Events elsewhere in the world are covered extensively, but only if they had a substantial impact on the US - the Bolshevik revolution and the rise of the Third Reich, for example. And while many pages are justly devoted to US space exploration, not a sentence mentions a Frenchman's invention, SCUBA, that allowed exploration of the oceans. Although Cuba, Panama and Nicaragua and briefly discussed, I don't recall reading a single word about South America. How is it possible to devote 3 pages to OJ Simpson, yet never mention the wholescale destruction of rainforests, along with the cultures and species that inhabit them, that has truly changed humankind and the face of our planet in the past 100 years? Ample, insightful discussions of race issues never touch on those surrounding Hispanics, Native Americans or Asians. Despite these criticisms, I found much of this book to be compelling reading, prompting emotional responses in me (I'm from the US) ranging from great pride and amazement to anger and shame. Photograhs play as important a role as the text, and are well used throughout. These, combined with one-page first person accounts by people who lived through the events described put a human face on the history. The layout of the book invites casual browsing, (which is how I first started reading it), but it is most valuable to read it from start to finish to fully comprehend the flow of events. This is definately a book to keep in the family library. As much as I liked this book, and recommend it to others, it left me with the feeling that I'd like to read a book written on the same topic by authors from Brazil, Kenya, Thailand or Russia....
Rating:
Summary: A history hater's dream
Review: For someone who dislikes history, the CDs are interesting, informative, and priceless. Jennings doesn't bore the listener beyond belief like the high school history teacher we've all had. Definitely one set of CD's you'll keep for a long time. If you're buying one "millenium" keepsake, seriously consider this audiobook.
Rating: 
Summary: 21st Century bunk
Review: Only Jennings would print a book a year too yearly. What if something major happens before the 21st century starts next year? Do some research (like he didn't).
Rating:
Summary: Don't buy unless
Review: I was sent this book as a Xmas present. Don't buy it unless you want fires, floods, depression, etc,( just like the evening news) in your house. Nothing about the accomplishments, gains, wonders of the century. Where are our inventors, musicians, explorers (space) and just ordinary hard working people. A waste of paper and time preparing. Thanks to the Amazon return policy I had it out of the house in 24 hours. Admittedly, I only glanced at the pictures and looked at the table of contents, but that was enough!
Rating:
Summary: A must-have for your home
Review: I usually acquire what knowledge of history I have from novels or movies like Saving Private Ryan or The Triumph and Glory. Fictional presentation of historic events is usually far more interesting than dry paragraphs of academic prose about past events. But Jennings' book is an exception to that rule--it is very well written and accompanied by intriguing photos and captions that stirred my interest and led me to further explore the bewildering but fascinating field of history.
Rating:
Summary: Not Bad
Review: A fair job on content, a great job on photography. This isn't the definitive work on the century, but it has its strong points. I bet Paul Johnson liked the pictures.
Rating:
Summary: The photography rescued a one star rating for content
Review: Paul Johnson, author of extraordinary classics like "Modern Times", "The Intellectuals", and "History of America", will not have to worry about competition from this quarter. Journalists should never, ever, write history. Although I suspect Peter did more kibbitzing than actual writing, the glossy veneer of this attempt to portray the American Century, from a point of view normally espoused by such leftist luminaries as Lincoln Steffens and fellow travelers, fails to conceal a tired, blatantly liberal agenda(as does Jennings deplorable propaganda sessions broadcast nightly from the ABC "News" room). I regret having added to the coffers of these singularly disingenuous "writers". If you want an apologia for the left and a poorly executed guide to the underpinnings of modern PC philosophy, by all means, read this book. Even if you do move your lips while reading, you can display it proudly on your coffee table and people who visit your home will think you are thoughtful! Jerry Furland, Author of "Transfer-the end of the beginning..."
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book
Review: I found this book to be very enjoyable. The pictures were wonderful. I realized that I had experienced most of what was in the book or I had a relative that had lived through that period. Looking at some of the pictures was like seeing pictures of my own family. Other pictures and writing reminded me of the things that I have experienced during my life. I think that is what this book was meant to do. I do not think that it was meant to be an exact treatise of American history or to neglect world history, but to help us to remember the remarkable things that have happened during this century.
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